Abstract
The article presents a conceptual framework to quantitatively and qualitatively prove that within 21st century, SAARC’s enormous economic potential can be liquidated to capitalise on the available opportunities and drivers like; China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and in particular; China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), ultimately forming a South Asian Economic Union (SAEU). The analysis vindicates that other than extremists BJP’s ultra-right wing Hindu activists, there exists an overwhelming international and regional political support for BRI and CPEC especially; among the divided Kashmiris, including the sitting Chief Minister, Ex- President Jammu & Kashmir Chambers of Commerce, officials from Indian Ministry of External Affairs, mainland State Ministers, academia, think tanks, renowned journalists, lawyers and other segments of the civil society. The Trump Administration’s aggressive policies are fuelling a fiercely competitive international economic and political order. Luckily, China’s vision of South Asian economic integration provides a crucial window of opportunity to SAARC, particularly; India- Pakistan to harmonise their antagonistic policies in favour of geo-economics. To secure great power status India, with SAARC, states must support China’s BRI and CPEC to further capitalise their growing trade; culminating into a SAEU with China as a member state. The article quantitatively and qualitatively proves that there exists an enormous trade potential to manifest such a conception for which commensurate political support exists in India-Pakistan and, indeed among the remaining SAARC states.